Nature - especially sunrise and sunset - moves me, as I'm sure it does most people. As for my poem, I think this is many a parent's wish - that children, if they stray from their faith, will one day find a way back to what was instilled in them at a young age.

My poem is exactly 140 (with no title). The image is one I took at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington D.C. I do not remember if "The Lovers' Boat" is really this red - I may have had my flash on which is unusual of me - but either way, I used it as inspiration for my poem.

Friday, January 23, 2015

I want to feel the winding road
in the palm of my hands,
laugh into the rearview mirror
and like what I see,
fall out of line with what's expected,
give in to wanderlust;
lose myself for the weekend.

This is linked with "Imaginary Garden with Real Toads - Words Count with Mama Zen". In 60 words or less (10 more if we can make her blush) Mama Zen asks us to write about what we are hungry for. School days and responsibility, this time of year, have me chomping at the bit. Two days certainly limits the places we can go… (and so does their homework)

This poem is not about me. A wonderfully intelligent, artistically talented woman ended her life a few days ago. Mary suffered with bi-polar / manic-depression. Mystic gave her great joy and she wrote about her horse on her blog "Galloping Mind" Following is an article that ran in the O'Henry Magazine entitled "Gloriously Imperfect" A part of her life story and the images of her uniquely beautiful house begin on page 56.

Friday, January 9, 2015

(move cursor to 1:14 for Billy Joel's song he performed on Oprah "Only the Good Die Young"

The Introduction

His hair and eyes were surely as dark as the devil'sbut his laugh made me forget
he was no saint -was pretty sure 100 mph
with windows rolled down and speaker cranked
was a sin on any back country road...

I learned summer nights
could be exciting; even dangerous
for this Catholic girl.
I did fall in love that night,
but not with him. Just now,
had to think hard to remember his name,

but Billy Joel's still a favorite on my playlist.

by Margaret Bednar, January 9, 2015

This is a true story - some details have been left out as I'm sure they would bore everyone :) … I do remember running out the door before he could get out of the car - I did not want my mom and dad to meet him.

If you love Billy Joel, you might find THIS l-o-n-g article interesting.

Monday, January 5, 2015

Rather rakish, this dandy
with flashes of shimmering blue,
tilted head, and confident air.

Boldly strikes a pose
for no one but himself;
non-chalance part of his charm.

If I approach, he's off -
no time for dalliance; cocks his hat,
struts about important business,

no sweet song offered.
Yet each morning,
I'm thoroughly charmed.

by Margaret Bednar, January 5, 2015

My backyard butts up to a small forested edge and I have a Blue Jay that is walking and pecking away every morning through the leaves and twigs. I have only been able to photograph him through my window. If I go outside he flies into the woods behind twigs and logs and continues looking for food - and where my camera has a hard time capturing him. I have a songbird feeder and I have not seen the Blue Jays eat from it. I am reluctant to buy a blue jay "open house" feeder as it would just attract the many squirrels I have.

Makes me almost wish for snow, as wouldn't he look magnificent silhouetted against a bit of white?

Friday, January 2, 2015

"What the new year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the new year." Vern McLellan

Morning's shadow has yet to drape dewey grass;
barren trees stretch and yawn as birdsong rises and falls
into the last lingering crevices of night.Routine has me filling the bird feeder
(much to house finche's delight) and walking the dogs,

but I've risen early to embrace this new year of many changes,and like a feather, (hopefully as beautiful as my red winged friend)
I intend to twirl gently, enjoy the sensation of free falling -
trust letting go can be as easy as that.

Palm a poem as if fragile even if the words are bold. Let them sink into your skin as if moonlight, let them flow through your veins until they become ordinary - for only then will we know they nourished.

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Let Life Happen

"What should I say about your tendency to doubt your struggle or to harmonize your inner and outer life? My wish is ever strong that you find enough patience within you and enough simplicity to have faith. May you gain more and more trust in what is challenging, and confidence in the solitude you bear. Let life happen to you. Believe me: life is in the right in any case." (Rainer Maria Rilke) Furnborg, Jonsered, Sweden, November 4, 1904 Letters to a Young Poet